Missunde III ferry suspended due to technical failure

The electric ferry ‘Missunde III’ has once again ceased operations on the Schlei waterway due to a defective pump. The Schleswig-Holstein State Agency for Coastal Protection, National Park and Marine reported that the faulty pump cools the converters for the transverse thrusters, making it unsafe to operate two of the thrusters.

This outage follows a series of unplanned interruptions for the vessel, which only began service in late April after a two-year delay. The disruption forces travelers and commuters to take a detour of nearly 40 kilometers. The ferry route between Brodersby and Kosel typically handles approximately 120,000 vehicles and 50,000 bicycles annually.

In response to previous technical issues, Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen had ordered an immediate review of the vessel. Authorities are currently considering several long-term options, including a permanent technical fix for the ‘Missunde III’, the reactivation of the older ‘Missunde II’ ferry, or the construction of an entirely new vessel. There is currently no estimate for how long the repairs will take.